The Sentinel
by Mad Cider
Summary: Unmoved by this victory and the seeds of death she's sown. Sworn to avenge! Condemn to hell! Tempt not the blade; all fear The Sentinel!


**May be crack, but not the humorous kind.**

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><p>"May evil like yours never be seen in this world again."<p>

"Wait! No! Don't do this! I'm not the villain! You don't understand! I'm not the evil!"

The gears of time began to turn. She was preparing to travel again. If Madoka dies, she said, she goes back in time and tries again. If she is in danger of dying, then apparently the same happens. So her wish was not for Madoka, but for herself. How selfish...

I shouted over her cries. "How many times have I had to suffer for you to be happy?! Was it not enough for you the first time?! How about we change things up some, eh?"

"Wait! What are you doing?! No, don't-"

I wrapped my fingers around that shield-like device on her wrist. "From now on, Sayaka Miki's fate is hers to choose! I will never die!" I pulled it free, in spite of her screamed protests.

"You don't know what you're doing! You can't control it! It's only meant for the one journey! You can't use it for anything else!"

I silenced her with a quick wave of my hand. It was warm and wet, the sensation on my face in that moment. I left Homura Akemi there, hanging from the wall, two of my swords nailing her to the plaster. According to what she had told us, this was far from the first time she had fought beside us. She was the only one who remembered, because the rest of us died time and time again. Those lives are not ours to remember. But she made the mistake of telling me how I had died previously. She can turn into an obsessed bitch if she wants, but sooner or later leaving me in the dust like that was going to come back and bight her.

"Homura? ...Homura! Wha- what... No! No! Homura!"

I turned to look back at the girl hanging from the wall. Madoka, one of my closest friends, struggled with the swords sticking through Homura's shoulders. She pulled them out, catching the girl as she fell to the floor. Madoka shouted at Homura to wake up. She must not have seen that slash across Homura's throat. Well, that's fine. I'm going back this time, and I can save everyone.

"Sayaka!"

Here we go... "Oh... Madoka. I'm going to change the world. I'm going to save it."

"You killed her!" She was standing in front of me now, shouting at me like I was some disobedient child. "You killed Homura!"

Yes... so? I held Homura's little toy up for Madoka to see. "She used this for her own selfish reasons! She only cared about herself! She didn't even understand what she could have done with this! Now it's mine, and I won't misuse it like she did. She could have saved the world, but she chose to just focus on one person who couldn't be saved. I'm going to go beyond that. I'm going to save the whole world... I'm going to save the universe!"

She just shook her head. "Sayaka, no... you can't-"

I've seen Homura freeze time with this thing, so I knew I could do it too. Good for me it was a power that came from her little doohickey, and not her self. With the blink of an eye, I stand behind Madoka. She collapses forward, still not sure what I did. What did I do? Her back just looks like a red mess now, where I stabbed her... I don't know, maybe a hundred times. Maybe more. It doesn't matter. I can control time. I can do anything. I can bring her back to life on a whim.

Well, so long as I can deal with these two.

"Sayaka, what the hell is this?! What did you- how could you?! They were your friends!"

Sure they were, Kyoko. But first, listen to my plan. I'm sure you'll like where this is going. "Don't worry. They'll be fine when I'm done."

Kyoko checked both of the girls that lay on the floor with red pooling around them. Mami just stared at me, horrified. Kyoko looked back up to me. "Why would you do this?"

Oh, I didn't mention. These two just got here. They didn't see what happened exactly. Perhaps they'll understand when I explain. "Homura was a selfish little girl with a power beyond her full ability to comprehend. I've taken that power away, and I plan to use it as she should have."

Mami just stood there, stunned. Kyoko prodded me on, getting her spear ready as she spoke. "What are you planning to do with it?"

Planning? No, I'm not just planning to. I'm damn well going to accomplish it, no matter what. "I am going to travel through time and search for better ways..." I saw Kyubey hop into view, and I nodded to him. "...better ways to create new energy. There has to be ways out there, and I'm going to find them. Then none of us will have to make contracts."

Kyoko shouted at me. "You're insane! Who gives a damn about that white rat and his entropy?! Let the universe shrivel! You can't change all of history just to please him!"

BANG

Kyoko fell to the ground, the shards of her soul scattering on the floor around her. I looked back to Mami, who just dropped her gun and let out a deep breath. She looked up at me, then over to Kyubey, as if considering what I had said.

"If this idea works... I don't want to die like this. I want my soul back inside my body. If the best way to do that is to find a better way to get energy to Kyubey, then we do that."

The gears of time began to turn. Mami took my hand, and Kyubey jumped onto her shoulder. I can imagine he would want to see what we might find. It was time to go back... to the very beginning.

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><p>It's so hot... where am I? What happened? That device of Homura's... we traveled through time, right? That means we should be in the past somewhere. That's where I wanted to go, anyways. I hope I didn't screw it up. Where's Mami? Where's Kyubey? Where am I?<p>

This is... I think I'm in a giant cavern. It's so hot, and there's lava everywhere. I look up and I see... a lone figure kneeling in the middle of the lava. It looks like some sort of hideous monster. Are we inside a Witch's barrier somehow? Where did Mami go?

_'I won't wake him up if you do what I ask of you.'_

Him? I guess it's not a Witch, then. Alright then, strange disembodied voice, what would you like me to do?

_'Become my sentinel. Become my guardian. Destroy the one who holds me now, and take his place.'_

Sounds great. You wouldn't happen to know where Mami is, would you? Mami Tomoe? Blond girl with some drills on the sides of her head? How about the fluffy little white creature that was with her?

_'Do as I have asked, and they will find their way here. This cruel master carries me, but he does not speak to me. If you and I became one, it would be better. My power directed by your ambition, and the universe would be eternal. Never would a star grow cold. Never would a child die. Never would despair clutch at your heart. I would never leave you.'_

Whoa... that's quite the trip. The voice knows all the right buttons to push, too. Alright voice, how much power do you have, exactly?

_'All of it.'_

All of it... all the power... in the universe. All the power in the universe... mine to direct.

_'You misunderstand. Not all the power in the universe, but all of the power whether it is inside or out.'_

Then... I could bring power... energy... into the universe. Then I have my answer. Become the sentinel? Become the guardian? Kill the current master? Gain more power than any mortal can imagine? Hell yes. Now I just need to know who this person I need to kill is... what do you want to bet it's that thing in the lava over there? Voice-sama said it wouldn't wake him up, and this thing seems to be asleep, so I guess that might be an accurate assumption.

I don't know what that thing even is. Hell, I don't know how big it actually is. It might be mostly hiding under the lava. I'm just going to have to hope it looks as close as it is and that this part is above the lava because it's relatively delicate. So as I get ready to leap over to it, sword in hand, I decided to mentally dedicate this slaying to one of my friends. Madoka's had enough atrocities done in her name already, so this one's for Kyoko.

I leaped across the divide, my cape catching fire from the proximity to molten lava. Hell yeah, my cape is on fire. I landed on the small island, right behind the kneeling figure. I briefly noticed that the island was made of some sort of metallic material but it wasn't melting. Of course, I was more interested in the fact that this thing in front of me was also made of metal, like a robot. Then I noticed the organic muscle tissue under what I guessed must have been armor. Black and silver armor. Naturally, this has got to be the villain.

There was some sort of noticeably squishy bit at the back of what looked to be a head, so I determined that it was most likely a brain or something. I took my sword and, without a moment's hesitation, stabbed the thing in its squishy part. I guess it was actually important, cause the top of its head cracked off and some orange liquid started coming out of the brain.

_'Take me from him now.'_

The top of its head started to glow, and I got the feeling that the disembodied voice was coming from that. So I reached in and grabbed it, pulling it off what I hoped was now a giant metal corpse. Then everything went white.

When I opened my eyes again, it was to the sound of Mami's voice. "Sayaka? Sayaka, are you alright? Can you hear me? Sayaka!"

I felt something warm on my fingertips, so I turned my head to look at my hand. My fingers were resting in the lava, which I immediately remembered was supposed to be burning hot. I instinctively pulled away, only to realize that the sensation on my fingers had not been one of burning. I tried to sit up so I could get a better look at my fingers, but suddenly became aware of what felt like a heavy weight attached to my chest.

I eventually resorted to simply rolling onto my back, lifting my head up to see what was now crushing me under its weight. The thing I had pulled off that giant's corpse was now attached to my chest. It looked like a tribal mask, especially when it was attached to that creature's head, but now it was acting more like a breastplate for me. It hadn't changed in size, yet it was still a bit big for me, not to mention heavy. If I really tried, I'm sure I could lift it.

"Sayaka, get up! You have to get out of there!"

Suddenly, something white, fluffy, and familiar landed on top of me. Kyubey curled up on top of me, staring at me with his blank eyes. I tipped my head back to see how far the shore was, and I'm pretty sure even Kyubey can't jump as far as the distance I saw. Mami was standing several meters back from the shore, and the feather on her hat had already burned off. There were scorch marks all over the rest of her clothes, and even a burn or two on her legs and face.

I looked back up to Kyubey, who I am thankful weighs nothing at all because he was sitting on top of me. "How did you get over here?"

He continued to just stare blankly. "She threw me."

The mental image I conjured up of Mami throwing Kyubey was entertaining enough to give me a little boost of energy. I used that energy to try to stand up. Kyubey jumped down beside me, watching me as I stood. He was staring at my new shiny breastplate with as much interest as one can possibly coax out of something like him.

Mami gasped, probably seeing it clearly for the first time. "Sayaka, what happened?" She shook the question away and shouted at me again. "You have to get out of..."

I lifted my hand to wave to her, you know, so she would get that I was alright. When I lifted my arm, however, something caught on it. It took me a moment of staring at my arm to realize what it was. I was attached to the island by a metal chain. Naturally, I tugged on the chain to try and free myself.

The chain didn't come loose or anything, but there was an unforeseen side effect of my actions. The island started moving. Out of the lava surrounding me, a giant metal leg rose into the air and came crashing onto the shore of the lava lake. A second later, another leg joined it. They were the from legs of a massive beast that, apparently, I was now chained to. The legs pushed down, lifting the creature's huge gaping maw and blazing fiery eyes out, as well as the bulky body I was standing on. It let out a deafening roar, and the voice in my head from the strange item now fused to my body explained my new circumstances.

_'You are now my sentinel. My immortal guardian for all of eternity. Child from another world, shape the universe through my power.'_

Kyubey curled his ail around himself contentedly. "I think this is a mission success."

Mission success? That's one way of looking at it. It would appear that I am now the most powerful being ever. This means that, in truth, the mission has just begun.

I noticed Homura's little time device was fastened to my arm. Grinning at it, and the personal demise I had just avoided forever, I pulled it off and tossed it aside. It popped and sizzled as it sunk into the lava. This is a new beginning for me, and I don't intend to be weighed down by someone like Homura.


End file.
